A household model to assess consumption-production-resources nexus in West Africa: the rice based farming systems in Sierra Leone
Résumé
In West Africa, several programmes have been established in order to boost rice production and consumption in those countries. However, these actions are often carried out at a national level without real consideration for the highly contrasting needs of agricultural households across a territory. This also implies the use of more specific approaches and methods that can quantify agricultural production while taking into account the diversity of cropping systems and of household food needs (Herrero et al., 2014). The aim of this paper is to present a non-linear optimization model that highlighting the production strategies of rice farming households with non-separability between production, consumption, and available resources. The model is applied for rice production in the north of Sierra-Leona, which is known for its significant rice production, but also for its low and variable yields and consumption levels, which are among the lowest in the world. It also defines and assesses political alternatives encouraging agricultural production, and therefore the improvement of food consumption.